Knitting machine woes..

[cptncrackoff]

This is a bit random but...

I have dug out my mums old 'new home swissknitter' machine, her indoors, wants to knit stuff for the baby, she already uses sticks but as we had this we thought she could have a go!

I dont know if anyones familiar with this particular model but to cast on, (or cast off, or is it cast in, i get confused with knitting and fishing ) you set the dials to A4, pull every other little prong thing out, go to the left, then pull ever other pin out and go back... still with me? thought not!

Then you're ready to knit, but you change the dials to B3 - stocking/normal stitch and it wont work, it refuses to knit, it wont go smoothly and gets caught, it looks hardly used, could something be worn, could we be doing it wrong.... does anyone have a clue!?

[veggiechicken]

I haven't a clue but this could be the manual? Swiss Knitter & Passap Goldy Manual

[cptncrackoff]

thanks, but we have the manual! thats the embarrasing bit! haha

[veggiechicken]

Oh well!! Never used a knitting machine myself - hardly used the needle things either

[lottie dolly]

NO idea about your model,i take it has sat for a long time without use,wether in a box or not,all machines need to be cleaned and oiled,i have not long had the same sarga with my mams old one,if your wife has not used a machine before,you not want to stress her out on how it works,it is not as easy as looking at the instructions,and away,first thing i would do is,look at the cleaning/maintenance page,it maybe just need a clean and oil,also,my 1 stopped knitting,it was a broken part in the cambox,all sorted now,after the clean,you need to read the instructions from the begining,using spare yarn,as it is likely to soil it at first,you more than likely will have to do any ribbing on your pins,then trancefere to the machine,that is easy enough to do,but you have to make sure it works first,it is very different to hand knitting,your ref to things,cast on is what u looking for,your prongs and pins are both called needles,and the that part of the machine is refered to as the bed,confused,look at the needles see if they have any broken latches,now you see why you need to read the info,ohh do have fun,and a large swear box close by,and post us a pic of your first samle swatch,

[cptncrackoff]

Thanks for that, we oiled the 'bed' and the needle heads!? - then you put it into a certain setting to spread the oil.

We read the instruction books, but we couldnt listen to the cassette, as we dont have a cassette player! haha

On the thing you move backwards and forwards, two of the triangular, movey things are a little worn, pitted if you like, i think they may be the problem, you can do two rows to cast on but as soon as you select 'normal stitch' it jams, the needles all look fine, no breaks, or bends! maybe i need spares....

[cptncrackoff]

This is the underneath with the worn bits...



and this is the machine....

[mothhawk]

It's a loooong time since I used a machine knitter. Will the carriage run across the needles in "normal" stitch when there is no wool on machine or in carriage? If it does then perhaps the cast on rows are too tight for the needles to move out properly. If it won't, then some part of the lever system under the carriage may not be in the correct position. Can you look underneath (again with no wool on the machine) as you push the carriage across to see how it is pulling the needles out? That often gives you a clue to what is wrong.

[cptncrackoff]

Thanks for that!
I have now tried it without wool, it still gets stuck, you cant see where, and it does go with a 'wiggle'.
Its fine left to right, but sticks right to left, i think its had it!

[lottie dolly]

the zig zaggy shape under the cam box,is the rout the needles go,get a magnifying glass,and have a close up of each side,to see what the difference is,if anything IS broken,you should spot it,it's the cam box that does all the work,also have a look at the rout the yarn takes into the cam box,it looks like it is guided down a hole in the centre,but,afraid it sounds like mine was,if so,you will find a broken part in 1 side of the cam box,you need to examin each part,start at the outside on 1 side,then take your search,from side to side,making visual observations ,get to know what you looking at,and you will find your problem,what ever you do,never force the cam box accross the carriage,come back with the results,

[cptncrackoff]

Right, progress!

I wasnt convinced that it was the cam thing, checking it over for half an hour, nothing seemed broken, and it seems to stop at a certain spot every time so one by one i checked each needle....

If i leave needle -10 in a non working position, the entire machine goes smoothly, it does look ever so slightly bent, but no more than any other, i'm wondering if i could remove +90 or -89 as were probably not going to need them!?
back to the book??

[lottie dolly]

In that case,check the needles 1 by 1,by sliding them up and down the bed,the ones that stick are either rusty or bent,either way,no good,if you end up slinging it,at least you will have tried,forget that,if you mean can you take a needle from 1 end,to use as a replacement for your bent 1,then yes,its a matter of lettint the book do the talking,all the best,

[cptncrackoff]

Right, that didnt work, its definatly getting caught when going right to left, i think this is to blame...


its all worn compared to the other side...



here they are side by side...



the search for spares is underway!
or i might bin it, it could be a better idea in the long run!

[lottie dolly]

Getting stressed now eh,thats what happens,then you loose the will to want to bother using it,have a google,and see whats on ebay,thats how i got my other cam box,thanks to a friend ,i was lucky in the respect that,so i can now use it when i got time and need,i was also lucky that as no one else bidded,i was able to buy cash on collection,and i did try it before i paid,and also knew how it worked,